Pinch me… am I really doing this? Applying Italian mentality to the month of August? We lived in Italy for the better part of a year (our family blogged all about it on familyfrolics—our family blog). And watched their routines and absorbed their rhythms. After almost 9 months of being there, I started to live differently: I wasn’t filling my entire trunk with Costco food, but instead walking daily to buy meat for that night, bread for today’s sandwiches and a few pieces of fruit.

Florence is chock full of university students, and there was always a new crop of Americans. I could always spot them in the grocery store: their carts were bursting and they would buy way too much to carry home. I know, because it took me the better part of a year to strip myself of the need to plan ahead. Its not right either way, just different. I don’t think I lived there long enough to fully delve into Italian routine: stores open at 10, close at 1. Re-open at 4, close at 7. I got used to the 3 hours off in the middle of the afternoon, but wasn’t disciplined about taking a nightly passegiata (walking around from 6-7pm), just before dinner. And because of the kids school, we usually got up rather early. We discovered, on our trip abroad, that our family really likes starting the day early—it was the best way to tour Florence, in my opinion. We would have streets, sites and churches to ourselves. Mio marito (my husband) and I adore taking early morning walks—for an hour or two—before ‘the rest of the world wakes up.’

Surprisingly, some stores didn’t bother open for January… or February… in fact some didn’t open until April because that was when the tourist dollars would begin to flow. Most shops, though, worked 5 or 6 days a week; and took all of August off.

We actually arrived in Florence in August: to boiling sun, hoards of tourists and no Italians. They were all at the beach, on holiday or otherwise avoiding the hum. In August all that is open are the museums and a few tourist shops and restaurants. There were signs posted everywhere—all over the city—a token FYI: “see you in a month.”

And although this whole year I have been pat-myself-on-the-back consistent with posting every few days, it is my right as a non-money-making blogger to give myself vacation time. I mean, I AM the one who gave me this blogging job—and it certainly has its perks, or I wouldn’t be here. But now? I think its time to implement vacation time—Italian style. I am taking the month of August OFF. I hope you hardly miss me, and are on holiday yourself. We can hop right back into it come September. Fall is brilliant for new starts, when school begins, the farms pluck a whole new crop of foods and we can begin to think about sweet rolls and soups, school snacks and squash.

But until then, I will just be hanging around. Not blogging for a month. Hail to the Italian way.

By the way, it doesn’t mean you need to go without. I mean, I HAVE been blogging for FOUR years. There are scads of good recipes, Italian food, easy-entertaining and more. That is why I created categories and archives and recipes. So you could always find something new and interesting—and helpful.

Here is something to keep you going:

1. Use this Latin Steak Rub before tossing your steak on your summer-time grill.

2. Or you could grill: Soy Balsamic Flank Steak

3. Summer is all about salads, and I LOVE this Walnut Pear Endive Salad. I am probably enjoying one right now…

4. AND summer is for enjoying guests in your backyard; so here is an assembly only appetizer: Pesto, Goat Cheese and Pine Nuts

5. Well if you make #4, you might as well grill some bread (just brush both sides with olive oil, and grill each side—serve); and if you are going to have grilled bread PLEASE try this white bean and roasted garlic spread—it will be so worth the tiny effort it takes to make it…

6. Because you really shouldn’t be cooking too much. It IS August after all. You should be drinking the most summery, celebrative, fruity, best-new cocktails you can find. And I have a few. Maybe your only assignment (and mine) for August should be to try these:

• Bahama Mamas… for dads too.
• Italian Sodas… the kid kind AND the adult kind.
• Blood Orange Kamikazis… need I say more?
• And just once, try my version of a Mojito—soooooo delicious.

That should do it, right? You will be okay? It won’t be long—August will fly by. Go enjoy some sun already, why would you be in front of your computer during this glorious month anyway? Get out: go! Just go!

Oh… but promise to come back? Yes… in September? We will have lots to catch up on, food to blab about, and all sorts of talking to do about the likes of tomatoes and other kinds of yumminess. (In case you want to peek at our lives during August, you can check out our family blog: www.familyfrolics.com where my sons and husband also contribute; equally cool is my son’s new blog all about selecting urban chickens—which we will be doing soon—www.pickinachicken.com).

A presto—until later,

Janelle (aka Gina)
p.s. why Gina? That is my Italian name! Check out my post ‘Gina and Gina‘ to learn more.

I was really tempted to categorize this post under ‘main course’ or entree. I love cheese so much, I could eat it for a meal. And being in Italy is my perfect excuse to focus on—and consume more—cheese. Really good cheese, with rich history and familial care and world-class quality.

I am learning that in Italy, food is all about region. Where did it come from ? Pay attention when you buy Italian products in the states: more often than not it is about qualified region, appellation, zones(s) and valley. There are stamps of approval, in hierarchical form (check out those really expensive balsamic vinegars). Italian vino with little pink labels around the neck will prove a bottle’s origins, stipulations and worth.

When in the states, in particular Washington state, I almost exclusively drank Washington wine (and have missed it enormously, by the way). Now that I am in Italy, I am drinking a lot of some Italian wine. I wish I wasn’t on a budget, because some of the high-end wines are amazing. We have splurged a few times on outstanding bottles; most of the time we drink budget table wines. Regardless of the cost, I am still learning about wines. I look for good deals, flavor profiles, layers of complexity and hidden gems. Mostly, I am beginning to notice all the varying regions and labeling according to region. I am thoroughly enjoying wines from Montalcino and the Maremma region (southwest Tuscany and into the Grosetto region).

And truth be told: cheeses are unique/noted by region as well. When I went to the food show it was Parmesan from the Parma region; Pecorino from various regions in Tuscany, bonafide Mozzarella di Bufala from further south, etc. Before this year abroad, I hadn’t taken the time to appreciate that—and hadn’t been exposed to the pride and loyalty associated with regional cheeses.

Now, I get it. Its about: location, location, location. And processing, and animal-that-contributed-milk, and aging… and a few more things. Its just quite simply, fun to learn about the nuances of cheese, beyond a mere bite. Bites are layered with history, government protection, family farms—some with agriturismos—and pride. Good pride in work and product. So here:

Parmesan: I just wrote a full-blown post on specific differences between Parmigiano Reggiano (where the name ‘Parmesan’ came from, and Grana Padano—essentially its ancestor of 200 years). Both hail from northern Italy, north of Tuscany. These cheeses are made from cow’s milk, are specific to region, aged anywhere from 1-2 years, sharpen with age and are formed into 80 LB wheels.

Pecorino: a hard, hearty sheep’s milk cheese, aged for about 8 months, sharp in flavor, whitish in color, formed into 65 LB wheels and used as a grating cheese (“pecorino” comes from the Italian word for sheep, pecora). Not designated by region, Pecorino is produced in various places around Italy. Pecorino Romano was its common name, because Pecorino was originally made in the province of Rome. Today you will find variations in name, according to location: Pecorino Toscano, Pecorino Sardo and Pecorino Siciliano. Each locale will have a slightly different flavor than the next. (p.s. apparently there is a ‘Romano’ cheese made in the US; be aware this version is made from cow’s milk, not sheep).

Asiago: considered a mountain or alpine cheese, from the northeastern region of Italy: Veneto and Trentino. It is a semi-cooked cow’s milk cheese for ‘grating’, formed into 20-pound wheels. It is labeled according to ‘ripeness’: fresh Asiago, called Asiago pressato, is semisoft; Asiago d’allevo is sold in three “stages”: fresco (aged for two to three months), mezzano (aged three to five months) and vecchio (aged for at least nine months).

I hope that helps!

Spending a year in Italy added so many dimensions to my culinary experience and food knowledge—I hardly know where to begin. I like the idea of revisiting individual ingredients, now that I am back-in-the-states and reflecting on my experience.

When I was in Italy it was about tasting the flavors of each season, traveling around Tuscany, stopping by a frantoio to taste olive oil and sampling Chiantis while sitting among their vines. I recently wrote a post about Buffalo Mozzarella, researched and summarized Vin Santo (Tuscany’s traditional dessert wine), and have written specific posts on Morellino di Scansano (red wine, southern Tuscany), artichokes (filled stalls in markets all spring) and Fava Beans. I am still in learning mode (this might be a perpetual thing for me… like a redundant state-of-mind, but I digress), and loving every minute.

Italy provides an enticing list of ingredients to consider—Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano are two of them. If I wasn’t paying attention, I would have thought both were just ‘Parmesan cheese.’ Actually ‘Parmesan’ is more of a catch-all term, frequently used in America, referring to hard, dry, sharp-flavored Italianesque cheeses. That serves a function, but so does knowing just a bit more—and appreciating the differences between heirloom Italian cheeses.

Parmesan is a nick-name, but stems from Parmigano Reggiano: a cheese from the Parma and/or Reggio Emilia region of Italy. A similar cheese from a neighboring region is Grana Padano. Monks in northern Italy’s Po valley encouraged the breeding of cattle for food/milk as early as the 11th century; the excess milk was made into long-aging cheese in what we know today as Grana Padano (the same story applies to Parmigiano Reggiano, 2 centuries later).

Both cheeses are DOP controlled: they have specific methods for processing and again, are from designated geographical zones and each wheel of cheese is tested for quality. They are both cooked, pressed, semi-hard cheeses made from cow’s milk. Both use high quality milk, rennet and salt; while aging, the wheels are humidity and temperature controlled, cleaned and flipped regularly. The cheeses’ colors and flavors differ, largely due to different grasses grazed by milk-producing cows.

Parmigiano-Reggiano

• it must age at least 12 months.
• made with mix of whole and skim milk.
• it is produced in Parma, Modena and Reggio Emilia, as well as parts of Mantua and Bologna.
• a golden straw color, which deepens with age.
• 3 seals associated with age:

1. the red seal (aged 18 mo.; flavors of milk, grass, fruit/vegetables),
2. the silver seal (aged 22 months; balance of sweet and savory, added notes of melted butter and nuts), and
3. the gold seal (aged 30 months; crumbly, nutty and spicy).

Grana Padano

• must age at least 9 months.
• made with partially skimmed milk.
• produced in Lombardy, Piedmont, Trentino and Veneto regions (the Po River Valley).
• color ranges from white to straw, taste from sweet to pungent (with age)
• more white spots/crystals appearing [appropriately] with age.
• young Grana Padano will taste clean and milky (aged 9 mo.), aged longer will bring notes of straw, butter and hay (aged 16 mo.); the reserve cheese adds layers of dried/roasted fruit and beef stock (aged 22 mo.).

Cheesy facts:

• it takes 60 gallons of part-skim, unpasteurized cow’s milk to make one 80 LB wheel of cheese.
• each pound of cheese contains the concentrated nutrients of 2 gallons of milk.
• there are big differences within a grade of cheese, primarily due to aging; optimal aging is around 2 years.
• the more the cheese ages, the more crumbly/grainy the texture.
• ‘Padano’ means ‘of the Po River’ (river’s Latin name Padus) and ‘Grana’ means grainy—referring to the cheese’s grainy texture.
• four million wheels of Grana are made per year versus two million wheels of Parmigiano.

So next time you are grabbing ‘Parmesan’ at your grocers, look a little closer. Does it say Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano? Are their stamps or symbols? How long has it been aged? Is it white or golden yellow? Pay attention while you taste the cheeses, and over time, you will notice subtle differences. Picture Italian cattle grazing on grasses from different regions of Northern Italy. It is their grazing—and age-old, well-preserved techniques and care—that deliver these unique, divine and nutrient-rich cheeses.

Vin Santo is a traditional dessert wine, with origins in Italy. Vin Santo means wine of the Saints—or holy wine; it is often used for communion, and happens to be bottled right around Easter. It is known as the wine of friendship and hospitality, and myth declares a 14th century friar gave it to the ailing. Although it is acceptable to offer it—and drink it—any time of the day, it is typically served at the end of a meal.

Vin Santo should be served at cellar temperature either alone or with a dessert; it has notes of toffee, dried fruits and nuts. It may remind you of sherry and can be sweet, off-dry or dry. In Italy, desserts are often slightly sweet or even savory (examples: olive oil cake, ricotta cake, a citrus tart or simple plate of butter or nut cookies). Italians often pair a sweet dessert wine with a less sweet treat. The classic pairing for Vin Santo is biscotti.

Vin Santo grapes are harvested in September or October; traditionally they were hung in well-ventilated rooms to allow their moisture to evaporate (and to be exposed to temperature fluctuations). Today they are also laid out on straw or plastic mats for drying. Traditionally Vin Santo was aged in small chestnut barrels (caratelli), modern recipes may include oak, cedar or a combination of wood barrels. Madre—thick wine from the prior year—is also added to the barrels, to facilitate the fermentation process. Vin Santo remains in the barrels for two to seven years, and is not typically ‘topped up.’ As it ages, the wine oxidizes, giving it an amber color and a flavor profile that compares to sherry.

The styles, color, sweetness and quality of Vin Santo can vary widely depending on the grape varieties and production methods used to make the wine. When red grape varieties are used, the wine is often labeled as a Occhio di Pernice or “eye of the partridge,” which has its own DOC classification in several regions of Italy. Vin Santos may be fortified, in which case they will be labeled Vin Santo Liquoroso.

Tuscany’s Vin Santo DOC uses white Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia grapes; other regions of Italy also have Vin Santo-labeling status including Marche (85% white Passerina), Veneto (the Graganega grape), Trentino-Alto Adige (only the Nosiola grape) and Umbria. Tuscany’s white-grape Vin Santo must have a minimum 16% alcohol level and is composed of at least a 70% blend of Trebbiano and Malvasia—other local white grape varieties constitute the remaining 30%. Tuscany’s red-grape Vin Santo must have a minimum alcohol level of 17% and is composed of at least 50% Sangiovese with other local white or red grape varieties making up the remaining 50%. Both wines are to be aged a minimum of 3 years prior to release; wines aged for at least 4 years eligible to be labeled Riserva.

Italy is big into protecting their food-and-wine making techniques of the past. They know a good thing when they see it. Fresh buffalo mozzarella is made exclusively from water buffalo milk; cow’s milk mozzarella is also called fior di latte.

Buffalo Mozzarella—specifically Mozzarella di Bufala Campana—is the most notorious of mozzarella cheeses in all of Italy—and really, of all the world. Why wouldn’t you want to put a fence around that? Associations are created to represent a group of producers, monitor production, compliance and marketing—and ultimately protect a brand. In this case, the Protection Association was founded in 1993, when the cheese achieved DOC status—and includes 95 producers from seven provinces in Central-South Italy: Caserta, Salerno, and parts of Benevento, Naples, Frosinone, Latina and Rome. Then in 2008 the European Union granted ‘Mozzarella di Bufala Campana’ the PDO stamp: Protected Geographical Status.

How its made: the milk is curdled, drained to eliminate whey, then this ‘curd’ is cut into small pieces and ground in a mill. The crumbles are put in hot water and stirred. When they achieve the proper PH/look/feel they are kneaded and spun into ropes—then consequently ‘lopped off’ and formed into balls or plaits. The mozzarella balls are put into cold water then soaked in brine. It is about an 8 hour process, start to finish. Many believe this famous fresh mozzarella—with no preservatives—should be consumed within days of production.

Make sure it is fresh: the surface should be tight, smooth and humid but not dry or wet. Slice into it: it should have a grainy surface, appear to be composed of layers and pearls of milky whey should seep out. Taste it: notice the liquid separate from the solid, it should melt in your mouth. It should be soft and delicate, not rubbery. It might have the tang of milk whey, but shouldn’t be distractingly sour.

Use it: traditionally, you will find it in Italy’s caprese salad, with nothing more than tomatoes and basil and a drizzle of olive oil. Another simple way to consume these authentic morsels is to cut it into bite size pieces, drizzle with the best olive oil you can muster and grind on coarse pepper (the cheese is salty enough on its own, thanks to brining). You can transform the first salad by adding some balsamic vinegar and green leaves… and the second by laying it gingerly on some just-grilled and garlic-rubbed crostini. If those simple measures aren’t enough, aim for some more involved recipes:

• for a fun twist on tomatoes-and-mozzarella, sub in roasted beetroot
• I have made rosti before; this recipe calls for individual rosti (for purposes of this recipe, think potato cakes); I can picture this appetizer of Potato and Zucchini rosti with Buffalo Mozzarella—your guests will be impressed
• big bonus: a fantastic pizza dough recipe thrown in! Add to my list of things to try: Pizza Napoletana Margherita (with Mozzarella di Bufala)
• Emeril is always good for a recipe: try his fried fresh mozzarella with mushroom ragu

Bites, nibbles, crumbly blobs of Parmesan and breadcrumbs on small pieces of eggplant. This experiment made at least a dozen rounds in my kitchen before reaching this blog. It sounded good, but unless I took out duck-tape, the ‘breading’ had no inclination whatsoever to actually stick to the eggplant. I tried egg whites and whole eggs, small sized eggplant and eggplant cakes. The taste profile worked: it is a mini appetizer rendition of eggplant parmigiana. But not if it doesn’t stick together.

But I kept trying. The red sauce for dipping is one of my favorite recipes, especially because you can make it a few days—months if canned—in advance. And not everybody makes eggplant, so it is a bit of a treat. And I will say, a small bite of eggplant covered in bread, cheese and served with ‘pizza sauce’ is not a bad way to introduce children to this nutrient-rich veggie.

Finally, the eggplant gave in to becoming my friend. I learned that I needed to slice it quite thin to get the right texture, that long narrow eggplants like the Japanese make for easy bite size rounds, that I needed to use flour—instead of a hammer—to make the breading stick to the eggplant, and that tossing in some dried Italian herbs is a nice touch to this already homey appetizer.

Eggplant Bites
1 eggplant, cut into 1/4 – 1/3 inch rounds
1 T kosher salt
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan
1 T Italian herbs (optional)
1/2 cup flour
KS&CP (kosher salt & coarse pepper)
2 eggs
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
Red Sauce (your favorite homemade or jarred marinara)

Place eggplant slices in colander in sink, sprinkle with 1 T kosher salt and let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, take out 3 medium size bowls. Blend bread crumbs, Parmesan and Italian herbs in first. Blend flour, KS&CP in second; whisk eggs and 1 T water in third. Coat each slice in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in eggs, then breading. Heat 1 T oil and 1 T butter in skillet over medium, saute each slice 3 minutes per side or until nicely browned. Add remaining butter and oil as needed.

Note: If you use the globe-like, large eggplant, slice thin rounds and cut into halves or fourths. If using Japanese eggplant, similar in size and shape to an English cucumber, just cut thin rounds and go from there.